The telecommunications and data communications industries have grown exponentially in the last 5 to 8 years partly because both industries have been able to expand their customer base from customers that are close to the center of operations/transmissions to customers who are located a significant distance from the center of operations/transmissions. Expansion of data transmissions to customers located at significant distances from the center of operations is facilitated by remote sites that are portable and smaller than the center of operations site. Both industries include those utilities and industries that provide one-way and two-way data transmission and transportation. The telecommunications industry also includes wireless communications, wire-based communications and combinations thereof. Wireless communications includes infrared, satellite, antennae, etc. Wire-based communications includes fiber optic cable, conventional cable, coax cable, shielded and unshielded twisted pair cable, etc.
Remote sites usually contain electrical and telecommunications wiring and components, such as batteries, antennae, circuit boards, keypads and other related components that in many cases can be fragile, relatively inaccessible and certainly sensitive to the elements and other environmental conditions. Therefore, these remote sites should be enclosed or otherwise contained in a protective enclosure system.
The remote sites should be monitored to identify system failures, such as surge suppression modules, air conditioners and fans, power reciters, batteries and other alarmed user equipment. Additionally, the monitoring shall report site changes, such as cabinet intrusion, temperature and humidity changes. The remote sites should also be environmentally controlled, such as with air conditioning, heating, and humidity control, so that the electrical and telecommunications components do not break down, short out or otherwise degrade leading to poor performance of the components or products.
Also, the remote site should be easy to access. A remote enclosure system or protective enclosure system is the industry choice for protecting and accessing components and other instrumentation at a remote site. (see Prior Art FIG. 1) In Prior Art FIG. 1, the conventional remote enclosure system 10 comprises side panels 50, doors 70 with handles 78 and an additional component 76, such as an air conditioner unit or base power supply. Conventional enclosure systems are configured as a cabinet arrangement and are either built to standard specifications then modified on-site or are built to custom specifications—which presents manufacturing/assembly line issues and problems.
Often times, in conventional remote enclosure systems, some components will be easy to access, swap out and repair; but other components will be difficult, if not impossible, to access without moving other components around or removing them altogether. The process of repairing, replacing or accessing difficult to access components can be made more difficult depending on the site location of the remote enclosure system and the environmental conditions surrounding the remote enclosure system.
Remote enclosure systems also present other layers of complexity when reviewing the viability of a remote site. If the remote site is small or otherwise constrained, the remote enclosure must be sufficiently small and accessible. If the remote site is in an area where there are environmental challenges, such as severe heat, rain, snow or extreme cold—the remote enclosure system should be able to withstand the environmental challenges, while being easy to access and easy with which to work.
Based on the drawbacks, disadvantages and cost issues of conventional remote enclosure systems, it would be useful to develop and implement a remote enclosure system that a) consolidates electrical terminations in one system; b) pre-terminates AC and DC equipment loads before site installation; c) provides multiple access points for facilitating equipment repair and installation; d) is easily configurable and expanded through the use of a modular frame design that accommodates a variety of customized side panels or the attachment of a variety of expansion cabinets; and e) is aesthetically functional given the cable entry and routing structure.